1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air flow system that can reduce the amount of contaminates at the site of an ophthalmic procedure.
2. Background Information
There have been developed various techniques for correcting the vision of a patient. For example, there is a medical procedure that varies the curvature of a cornea using a laser. This procedure is commonly referred to as Laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK).
In a LASIK procedure, a surgeon cuts the cornea to create a flap. The flap is peeled back to expose the stroma layer of the cornea. A laser beam is then directed into the stroma to ablate the cornea and vary the refractive characteristics of the eye. After the ablation step, the flap is placed back onto the cornea to complete the procedure. LASIK procedures are typically performed in a room that may have dust particles and other contaminants. The contaminants may become attached to the stroma and lead to a post-operative infection of the eye. The stroma tissue has a tendency to attract and retain contaminants. Additionally, the ablated stroma is sometimes aspirated so that the patient does not smell burning tissue. Unfortunately, aspirating the burned tissue pulls air and accompanying contaminants into the eye.
To reduce the amount of contaminants introduced to the cornea during a procedure the surgeon will frequently apply an irrigation fluid to the eye. The irrigation fluid may over-hydrate the cornea and possibly interfere with the ablation of the stroma by the laser beam. It would be desirable to provide a system that can reduce the amount of contaminants introduced to a cornea in an ophthalmic procedure.